ZM, "if such a stimulus is applied to one part of a plant, might the response be exhibited in only a part of the plant" Very likely, sometimes. However, there is considerable evidence of remote signaling. So, a stress in one part of a plant can trigger a response in other parts. Percy Wright, a Canadian plant breeder, told a story of how "His uncle moved from Saskatchewan had moved west to the Okanagan and for sentimental reasons had grafted some ultra hardy Saskatchewan plums onto a few branches of the peach trees in his orchard. A harsh test winter arrived after a few years which decimated not only the peach crop, but also the trees themselves. Most were killed outright or at the least severely injured. However the peach trees with ultra hardy Saskatchewan plums grafted in the branches had no winter damage whatsoever!" The environmental stress (cold? short days?) was detected by the ultra hardy plums, which then communicated an appropriate response -- presumably to the roots. When they went dormant, the rest of the tree had no choice but to follow. Here's a more recent example of remote signaling: Plant Mol Biol. 2003 Nov; 53(4): 493-511. Rootstock effects on gene expression patterns in apple tree scions. Jensen PJ, Rytter J, Detwiler EA, Travis JW, McNellis TW "Like many fruit trees, apple trees (Malus pumila) do not reproduce true-to-type from seed. Desirable cultivars are clonally propagated by grafting onto rootstocks that can alter the characteristics of the scion. For example, the M.7 EMLA rootstock is semi-dwarfing and reduces the susceptibility of the scion to Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight disease. In contrast, the M.9 T337 rootstock is dwarfing and does not alter fire blight susceptibility of the scion. This study represents a comprehensive comparison of gene expression patterns in scions of the 'Gala' apple cultivar grafted to either M.7 EMLA or M.9 T337. Expression was determined by cDNA-AFLP coupled with silver staining of the gels. Scions grafted to the M.9 T337 rootstock showed higher expression of a number of photosynthesis-related, transcription/translation-related, and cell division-related genes, while scions grafted to the M.7 EMLA rootstock showed increased stress-related gene expression. The observed differences in gene expression showed a remarkable correlation with physiological differences between the two graft combinations. The roles that the differentially expressed genes might play in tree stature, stress tolerance, photosynthetic activity, fire blight resistance, and other differences conferred by the two rootstocks are discussed." The stress (fire blight infection) affected the scion, but the rootstock somehow mediated the response. You're right that stress "can encompass a wide range of factors, many of which we might not think of as 'stress'." To paraphrase Forest Gump, "Stress is as stress does." In the broad sense, any sort of change in conditions is stressful. Many kinds of environmental stress are easily tolerated and usefully exploited by plants (or animals) long accustomed to them. However, unfamiliar changes/conditions can provoke more profound disturbances. Changes in photoperiod, for example, are often exploited by plants to provide a trigger for flowering. But when certain plants (e.g., tropical) are exposed to the wide ranging photoperiods of northern regions, they may respond oddly. In its native habitat (Brazil) the beautiful Amaryllis fulgida (Hippeastrum striatum var. fulgidum) bears a cluster of 2-4 flowers on a scape around 18 inches tall. But when the species was first cultivated in Britain in the early 19th century, it changed dramatically. "This specimen was imported by Mr. Harrison, from Brazil, and was drawn at Aighburgh, April, 1832. Some of the leaves measured twenty-nine inches in length and nearly three in breadth; the first flower-stem (bearing eight flowers) attained the height of thirty inches, and would probably have become somewhat taller, but was generously cut for the completion of the present figure; a second scape immediately succeeded it, twenty-eight inches high and having six flowers." By the end of the century, the gigantism was gone. Generations of offspring from the original specimens soon became adapted to the British seasons and reverted to the original "type." Other differences in "stress" are obvious. I was thinking of various species of roses that tolerate very different conditions, and are also stressed by very different conditions. Forest species (e.g., Rosa pinetorum) are weakened by exposure to full sun, whereas R. arkansana thrives in full light. R. rugosa happily tolerates salt spray when grown near the ocean, while others are likely to be killed. Some favor in humus (woodland types) while others grow and flower best in sand. Furthermore, there are distinct "sensitive periods" (or "critical periods") in plant development. An environmental condition that is usually tolerated without much difficulty can become very stressful during a fairly brief period of transition. And one more item that I just found while looking for something else: Biosystems. 1995 ;36 (1):71-7 8527698 Adaptive determinism during salt-adaptation in Sorghum bicolor. H Seligmann , G N Amzallag During adaptation to salinity, plants of Sorghum bicolor showed malformations affecting the leaves in development (DPL). At the end of the adaptation process, the plants were regrouped according to their pattern of DPL response. The distribution of the plant population in different patterns depended on environmental conditions. However, a positive relationship between the frequency of a pattern and its rate of development has been found. Similarly, a negative relation between the frequency of a pattern and the rate of senescence for the same pattern has been observed. The results reveal the existence of an orientation of the plant response towards the patterns with highest developmental rate and lowest rate of senescence. This property is defined as "adaptive determinism". Results indicate that the NaCl acts as a trigger for adaptation to a whole range of environmental perturbations. This suggests that adaptation to salinity is not a pre-programed response of the plants, and may be related to learning processes occurring in animals. Amzallag made some very interesting studies of the effects of salt on sorghum. I just decided to make a bibliography of his papers. Karl Here is a link that might be useful: Salt stress in Sorghum bicolor

Beautiful china & silver - service for 12, WOW! Regardless of the ornateness, manufacturers of every generation of sterling prior to the 1950's had heavy weight patterns, light weight patterns, everything in between, & some gave a choice of weights within the same pattern; the quality of the finishing was not affected. It mostly depended on how much the consumer was willing to spend & what the jeweler had in stock. All the new silver that I've seen recently seems heavier than it should be - maybe trying to compensate for mediocre finishing to justify the price. I'm not a fan of silver-in-the-d/w but I know people who swear by it with no ill effects but I definitely would NOT put old hollow handle knives in there. You don't want water getting in the handle causing rust on steel parts or melting filler that holds the blade in place. LindaC, do the newer knives & replacements with ss blades have heat/detergent proof filling?

It's a fraud! If you take a serious look at the "research", much of what they claim it will do is not possible and the rest is unsupported by any testing. "SEASILVER cleanses your vital organs, purifies your blood and lymphatics, nourishes your body at the cellular level, oxygenates the tissues and cells of your body, and strengthens your immune system." This is pure techno-babble ... lots of fine-sounding words, but absolutely meaningless if you evaluate it with any knowledge of human physiology and cell If you are taking "many" each day and talking about "pills all the time", you are probably overdosing on something. The national-brand vitamin or mineral supplements, as sold in any drugstore or supermarket, are more than adequate, and that's the latest NIH recommendation. Here is a link that might be useful: SeaSilver Claims Analysis

Not through Spode itself? Or you could email Spode to ask where her pattern could be found if not with them. I contacted them just after Christmas, and they got back to me right away about a problem with my Christmas dishes.